Possible Walker found.

[TFoley]

Gentlemen - I hasten to add, NOT by me.

I was contacted off-forum by a gentleman who claims to be selling a Colt Walker for a friend, and asked me about it. Please note that not only am I honouring his anonymity by not responding to further questions here, but I am not in any way connected to this deal. In fact, I don't know who the poster actually is.

However, this is my response, posted on the forum concerned, and I thought that it was possibly of interest to us over here. If the mods wish to move it or delete it, that what Mods are for. I wrote it in a non-personal advisary format, naming no names or details. I will not change it here.

Quote - 'Sale of potentially valuable guns...
Gentlemen - I'm not selling guns, just offering some advice about the responsiblity of doing so.

I was recently contacted off-forum by a gentleman who intends to try and sell a potentially very high value handgun for a friend, and he asked me to confirm a few things for him about it.

I am constantly amazed that even after all this time, there are STILL people out there with genuinley historic artefacts that they claim to know nothing about - 'twas jest a'hangin' over the fireplace since I wuz a kid...my granpappy etc...... At THIS end of the scale of values, such an item is more than likely to be bought by a state museum than a private individual, although, of course, there are also many serious collectors who could afford such a piece.

My opinions are moot, as the USA has any number of real experts on guns of this period, appraisers of their true value and genuineness, and auction houses to sell them - ALL of these SHOULD be used to the maximum to obtain the best price for the item, and to satisfy the seller.

So IF you have a gun that you believe has great monetary or historical value, and this one MAY have both, it behooves you to do ALL the necessary research before trying to sell it.

Meanwhile, good luck to the friend of the owner in his research, and let's hope that another piece of real American history has come to light with this gun.' - End Quote

tac

 

[BillinOregon]

Tac: Good advice. If it is genuine it will be worth a LOT of money. This fellow should contact one of the big auction houses for advice on a QUALIFIED appraiser, and then get the thing insured while he decides what to do with it. There are a lot of counterfeits out there, but it is possible it is genuine.
Storming but good here in Oregon, my friend! Feet of snow the next couple of days in the Cascades and Coast Range.

 

[TFoley]

Tac: Good advice. If it is genuine it will be worth a LOT of money. This fellow should contact one of the big auction houses for advice on a QUALIFIED appraiser, and then get the thing insured while he decides what to do with it. There are a lot of counterfeits out there, but it is possible it is genuine.
Storming but good here in Oregon, my friend! Feet of snow the next couple of days in the Cascades and Coast Range.

Good advice - in fact, the same as mine! I'm looking forward to hearing more if he bothers to make contact with me again. Sadly, he seems to have mistaken me for an expert of some kind where old guns like this are concerned, whereas we both know that that my main area of expertise lies in judging marionberry pie.

I'm a frantic OPB and ODT webcam follower, me, and right now I'm looking at the 101 at Port Orford....sigh.

Put the coffee on, Bill, I'll be there d'reckly.

Best

tac

 

[BillinOregon]

Tac: Yuppers,good old Oregon winter storm bearing down. Should be some great agate hunting directly!

 

[M. De Land]

I believe there were only about a thousand made if the information I read is correct and most of them that have survived are accounted for and in collections around the world. I once heard that if an original in good shape showed up it could be worth nearly a quarter of a million dollars!
I was rather flabbergasted! MD

 

[Zonie]

If you count the number of the folks who are trying to sell "Original Walker Pistol's" it soon becomes obvious that the original records must be in error.

There are more "Authentic Original Walkers" now than there ever was.
They remind me of the number of real AC Cobras that are driving around town now with some macho guy behind the wheel and some blond bimbo waving at the people. :rotf:

 

[Dphar]

A friend of mine told me some years ago that a machinist with an old iron mill shaft made some Walker copies. The material is period correct as a result. I would be VERY careful.
Could be real but anytime there is a lot of money involved....
Dan